To understand nanotechnology one has to have a clear head and a focused attention span. This technology is so far ahead of our time that the vocabulary describing the true workings of it can be quite a challenge to grasp. Putting it in layman’s terms might be a touch more comprehensible. The fact remains that once again scientists around the globe are working around the clock to ease the stress of cancer patients.

‘Nano’ means very, very tiny. So tiny in fact, that it compares to the size of a haemoglobin molecule (red blood cell). Haemoglobin molecules are about 5 nanometres in diameter. That is 100 to 10 000 times smaller than human cells and about the same size as enzymes and receptors. To make it even easier to understand – a nanometre is a billionth of a meter!

What scientists are busy with is to create an implantable device – nanometre size – that can travel through the human body, crossing biological membranes on its path, move out of blood vessels, circulating further and detecting cancer cells and even delivering therapy on the outer and inner parts of cancer cells. In short – the aim is to create a device that can detect cancer and deliver medicine. Another plus for using this device would be to manipulate and monitor the cancer progress in the cells, thus helping scientists understand the complexities in the molecular structures of a cancer cell even better. This will help greatly in correct therapies and maybe even cures!

A further great advantage of nanotechnology in cancer would be the fact that the device will do selective killing of cancer cells only. Healthy cells would stay unharmed and the patient will experience much less or even no side effects. At this stage there are five different devices being studied. ‘Nanoshells’ are gold coated; link to cancer cells and delivers therapy. It works on the absorption of near infrared light which in turn creates intense heat, killing the cancer cells. ‘Cantilevers’ are flexible, microscopic beams that can detect cancer molecules. ‘Nanowires’ detect altered genes that may suggest cancer. ‘Nanoparticles’ can do the imaging of molecular malignant lesions, a very early detection of cancer. This can also aid surgeons in direct surgery. ‘Biosensors’ monitor the genetic changes in cancer cells, thus halting metastasizing.

The challenge is how to send them to the right spot. Clinical trials are due to start in 2010. I am sure to follow and report on any further development. Let’s hope and pray that these nanovectors (being diagnostic and therapeutic) will be the biomarker microchip we’ve been dreaming of. Thumbs up to all the scientists striving in perfecting this phenomenon!